Car wont start
 

I tried to start my 94 cobra today but it wouldnt crank at all. all i hear is a click. the battery was the first thing i checked . i jumped it but had the same result. a click . the headlights and radio work fine but it wont start. the first time i turned the key smoke came out of the space where the parking brake is. could it be a bad starter or a selenoid. i really could use any help or comments. thanks

last time that happened to me, I was at a busy intersection and I stalled. When I cranked it, all it did was click even with a jump. Turns out that my starter was locked up. I had to put it into first and push it back ad forth. Once I got some momentum going, it popped ad the starter was unlocked. It cranked right up. Just a thought, you might try it.

Caymon

i just tried that but had no luck im thinking of buying a new starter

make shure all the battery cables and grounds are good, and Clean also. Sometimes if the battery has dead cells even jumping it is hard to start . Most auto parts stores check the starter for free anyway. But its one of those components: Starter, Cables, or battery usually.

P.S. you can try banging on the starter with a hammer, then try starting it. Sometimes that frees it up so you can at least narrow it down. You dont have to remove the starter for this. I have alot of experience in this. lol.

i beat the eff out of it but had no luck. i am replacing the starter and praying that it cranks.

smoke came from where? small Q...is the shifter boot and cover installed?

i just replaced the starter and all i get is the same click. im very pissed. it was a pain to do. do you have any other suggestions. the battery is 3 weeks old and the starter is brand new. the click seems to be coming somewhere near the intake manifold and another noise near the radiator. im clueless to what it is. any other suggestions

well try the easy stuff first. I know you just replaced the battery but it could have gone bad due to the old starter shorting out. So try putting in a known working battery first. Other than that it could be the battery cables, starter cables, engine block ground. If even one of these cables is not making good contact it wont turn the starter. Your car has the solenoid on the starter right? because if the solenoid is bad it would not start either. Mine has a solenoid on the firewall (if you follow the positive cable from the battery it goes directly to it) but i dont know if yours is the same.

also, did you have the parts store check the new starter to see that is works? I have had a few starters that where defective right out of the box. Just an idea if all else fails. You can check the starter right on the car by running a power cable to it, but be careful as the car might start or at least turn over if the starter is good. Be careful if the car is manual transmission as it will lunge forward if it tries to start and is in gear. Just use common sense.